Dramatic End as Vermont Edges UMass-Lowell
Dramatic End as Vermont Edges UMass-Lowell
In one of the marquee Men's D2 games of the weekend, University of Vermont took a key step forward in their conference with a dramatic overtime victory over UMass-Lowell.
The game was played at UML on their Homecoming Weekend and the event drew a good crowd as both teams took a gingerly step into New England Wide Collegiate Rugby Conference action. Both teams had chances to break the game open, but little finishing touches weren't quite there this early (still) in the season and it was in the end a low-scoring affair.
Vermont tried to use their centers as strike runners but had trouble busting through the swarming Lowell defense. In the end first points game thanks to ill discipline, which plagued both sides at times. Vermont was penalized at a scrum, gave up another penalty, and when a UVM player tried to hold onto the ball to delay a quick tap, the mark was marched another 10 meters down the field. That made it close enough for flyhalf Nathaniel Taylor to put it over.
Vermont put the pressure back on from the restart and got a scrum in an attacking position. From there they worked a nice move off the weak side and the forwards charged in, consolidated possession, and put flanker Hugh Edwards over to make it 5-3 for the Catamounts.
Vermont had other chances. A massive break from outside center Keegan Bliss looked for all the world like it would produce a long-range try, but the connections with his support weren't there and the UMass Lowell cover defense was.
Down 5-3 Lowell found it difficult to get out of their 22. They were facing a light breeze and perhaps that discouraged them from thinking kick first—certainly they wanted to run it and had some overloads at times. Those odd-man situations could at least have helped the River Hawks get out of trouble. But those crucial final passes just didn't go to hand.
Vermont's pressure, then, led to a kickable penalty and flyhalf Finlay Hutton slotted the kick to extend his side's lead to 8-3.
The game remained low-scoring and very physical, with Lowell lock Adam Oukani leading the hard working UML pack, and Edwards, along with Anthony Casablanca providing scrappy resistance for the guys in green.
Second Half
As the contest moved on into the second 40 it seemed like the next score might decide it. Vermont had two excellent scoring chances, with overlaps, but the final pass again didn't connect. Lowell replied with a breakaway that might have been real trouble for the Catamounts, but a desperate ankle-tap forced a knock-on, and it remained 8-3.
Vermont continued to control field position, and after an unlucky penalty against Lowell (offside on a knock-on that the offender just didn't see), Vermont set up their lineout. But one of the features of the game seemed to be that teams' lineouts worked fine in the middle of the field, but not when they needed them to set up a scoring chance. Here, Lowell got free kick. They kicked clear only for Vermont to counter. The Catamounts bashed into the Lowell line repeatedly, getting ever closer, but still having to work for it. Then Hutton picked up and ran weak. Somehow he slipped through two defenders and took off for the corner, scoring a huge try for Vermont to make it a 13-3 game.
To some observers (OK, GRR specifically) the game looked done right there. Lowell had, at that time, maybe 14 minutes left in the game and had not looked like scoring for a while. But the River Hawks felt they could finish stronger and they immediately chased the restart, put pressure on UVM, and earned a penalty. Taylor teed it up and put it over to make it a one-score game at 13-6.
The decision to go for posts was the conservative choice in some ways but also risky. Now everything hinged on Lowell receiving a kick in their half and scoring a try as time wound down. Vermont helped out. The Catamounts were pushing Lowell back and got a scrum, but some backchat from Vermont—something of an issue for both teams at times—reversed the call and gave a penalty to Lowell instead, with Vermont going down a man due to a yellow card.
The River Hawks kicked for the lineout, ran the ball wide, and suddenly the connections were there. Just like that, Taylor was over and with the conversion it was tied. Lowell stormed back for one more but it was not to be, as Vermont defended their line and the 80 minutes ended at 13-13. The teams a little unsure of how to proceed at that point. The Vermont players thought it was over, but with this being an important game in terms of future playoff scenarios, they all rocked up for overtime.
Once again it was a physical battle, with neither side giving anything. Bliss tried a drop goal, but it was blocked. Lowell had a chance, but the cover defense was there again.
Finally Vermont got a kickable penalty and Bliss booted it over for the 16-13 victory.
(Note: In the standings and in the NEWCRC this will likely be a tie. A regular-season tie is usually listed as a tie. Stay tuned but this could well be listed as a tie.)
Perhaps not a perfect game, it was played with a ton of passion and not only played to the very end, but past that. Both teams produced some braver performances, and neither will have left the field feeling too discouraged, or, for that matter, that they have everything figured out.
